A central belief of the Christian faith is that there is only one God who exists eternally as Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. As historically understood, the triune God is somewhat mysterious.

The Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit. The Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. And, of course, the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. Yet together they are the one true God, the creator of the universe and all living things in it. Further, God is eternal, without beginning or end.

Moreover, God is personal. He (the usual biblical pronoun for God) has created humanity with the same basic components of personality as he has and he desires a personal relationship with each of us. The nature of the Trinity is not addressed systematically in Scripture. However, historic Christian teaching about the Trinity is usually considered consistent with the Bible’s message concerning the nature of God.

Jesus’ testimony in the Gospels is that he understood God’s nature and adequately revealed God to us. Apart from Jesus, no one I know of has even implicitly claimed complete understanding of the triune nature of God. I have both met and read of people who rejected the Trinitarian nature of God largely because they thought it incomprehensible. But consider this. A God you can understand with no ambiguity is less complex than you are. The God of the Bible is not that small. Still, you can know him. And he is willing and able to meet your needs.

Dan York is pastor at Dover Community Church.